Auxiliary signaling apparatus for telephone-lines.



C. S. WINSTN.

AUXILIRY SIGNALING PAETUS FOR TELEPHONE LINES. APPLIOATIGN ULEB AUG. 2, 1905.

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cHARLEs s.-WINsrroN, or CHICAGO, ILLInoIs,

1ASSIGNOIIR. TO KE'LLOGG SWITC-IBOARD & SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

l AUXILIARY SIGNALING APPARATUS FOR TELEPHONE-LINS.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

i Application filed August 2,1905.' Serial No. 272,303.

To all whom-fit may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. WINsroN, a citizen of the United States of America,

and resident of Chicago, county of Cook,

and State oi Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Auxiliary Signaling Apparatus for Telephone-Lines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to tire alarm and watchmens report signaling devices, and more particularly to means for operating such devices in connection With telephonie systems. 1

I propose to provide a simple mechanism or a plurality ot such mechanisms, to be used in conjunction with the subst-ation end of a telephone line, and adapted to send Watchmens signals and lire alarm signals to the central otiice. I also provide means at the central oice :tor recording such signals, and I propose to associate such signal-sending and signal-receiving means with the telephonie system in such manner as to use the conductors of the telephonie system and the. relays of suoli' system Which areordinarily used for telephonic'purposes for the operation of said signal-sending and signalreceiving devices, and thus produce an eiiicient and practical signaling system by merely adding to the ordinaryV telephonie installation saidl auxiliary signal-sending devices at the subscribers statiomand an auxiliary signal-receiving device at the central office.

I have Iillustrated in the accompanying drawing one form of the auxiliary attachments which I propose to associate with the telephonie circuit, and a sufficient part of a telephonie system to illustrate the Way such attachments are adapted to be associated therewith and their operation in connection With such a system.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a. telephone system showing only a part of the central oliice apparatus; Fig. 2 is a` plan At the l adapted to be closed at. the switch hook 7 and contact point 8 when the receiver G is in use. At the central otlice one side ot a `cord circuit is represented by the tip strand i 9 and .sleeve strand 10, a central source of energy 11 being permanently bridged between 4said cord strands having one pole ygrounded at 12. The tip and sleeve contacts of the plug 13 are adapted to form conne'ction with similar contacts of the jack 14, the sleeve Contact of which is grounded at 15 through the Winding' of acut-oii.e relay 16. The armature 17 of said relay is normally connected With a grounded 18, andthe armature 19 of said relay is normally connected through the Winding of the line relay 20 With one pole of the battery 11 by means of conductor 21. The armatures 17 and 19 are adapted when attracted by the with the grounded conductor 18 and the Winding of the lined relay 420 and to connect the external limbs 1 and 2 of the telephone line With the tip'and sleeve contacts, respectively, of the plug 14. A line signal Q2 is adapted to respond to current from the battery 11 in the usual manner when the armature 23 of the li-ne relay 20 is attracted, said lamp being energized over conductors 21 and 24.

The operation of the telephone system .which I have described is as follows: lVhcn the subscriber removei hisl receiver from its central oiiice battery l1 over conductor 21, line relay'QO,.armature 1S) of cut-otf relay 16, limb 2 of the telephone line through the substation apparatus, line conductor 1, armature 17 of the cut-ott' relay and conductor 18 to groundand back to the battery. lurrent flowing over this path energizcs the line relay 2O which attracts its armature 23, thus lighting the line signal 22 in an obvious manner. Upon observing the signal the operator inserts the plug 12% into the. jack l 14 which closes a path tor current from the battery 11 over the sleeve strand 1() of the cord circuit. sleeve of the jack 14C, and the winding of the cutoff relay 1 6 to the ground 15. The energization of -the cut-olf relay severa the connection of the external limbs of thetelephone line with the grounded ronductor-lS and the line relay QO'and connects the same with the `switchboard section .of the line, thus permitting the 'current Patented Jan. 25, MMO.,

cut-oli relay lto sever their connectionhook a path for current is completed from conductor through the cut-0E relay abovel traced to divide at the armature 19, a portion of said current iowing over conductor 2 through the substation apparatus, over line conductor 1, through armature 17 of the cut-ofi' relay, tip centactsoi the jack 14 and plug 13 and over the tip strand of the cord circuit to the battery 11. Subscriber 3 is now in communication with the central oiiice for conversation and a similar connection may be made by means of the other half of the cord .circuit withv the subscriber desired, which ing one method 'of associating my signalsending andl receiving' apparatus With telephone systems generally, and that my invention isadapted for'use vvith any' other suitable telephonie system` and isA not intended to be limited to the circuit arrangement herein described.

In the present form of my invention I provide at the subscribers station a small metal Wheel 25 carried upon a 'suitable aXle 26] and preferably insulated therefrom as shown in Fig. 3, adapted to be rotated by any suitable means as the crank 27. The axle 26 may be secured in position upon a suitable support by means of straps 28 and carries upon one end a disk 29 having a notch formed therein adapted to be engaged by a pavvl finger 30 for holding the contact Wheel 25 in normal position. The metal Wheel 25 preferably has an extended portion or -hub 31 adapted to be engaged by the contact brush 32, a similar contact brush 33. being adapted to ride upon the periphery of said Wheel.. The Contact Wheel 25 carries a plurality of insulating segments 34 upon one of Which the brush 33 is adapted to normally rest, the vpawl finger 3() holding said Wheel in -a lproper position to be thus 'engaged by said brush. Any desirable number of said tinsulating segments 34 and al ternating contact surfaces 35 may be provided upon said Wheels,.and any number of said wheels or signal-sending stations may be provided, as Will be hereinafter explained. The" specific construction' of' the contact Wheel 25 and the means for operating the same above described, are not essential to m invention and the same may be varied Without departing from the spirit thereof.

At the central oiiice a signal-receiving device is provided which in the present in- -A the watchman has ma stance I have shown as a tape ticker 3G, con sisting preferably of a tape ,wheel 37 over which the strip of tape 38 is adapted to be fed by means of small feed wheels 3S), said Wheels being continuously driven at a prearranged definite speed, in opposite directions by any suitable means, as clock works, as indicated by thc arrows upon said Wheels. A ticker or indicator 40 constitutes the armature of a magnet 50 and is adapted to be brought into contact with the surface of .the tape 38 to form a record thereon when said magnet is energized, in a manner well understood. An additional armature 51 is provided for the line relay 20, said armature when attracted being adapted to close a path for current through the coils of the relay 50 by means of conductor 52.

As previously stated, any desired number of contact Wheels 25 may be provided at the subscribers station and the same may be distributed or located in d'erent parts of a building or other premises `which the Watchman is supposed to visit, and from which he is supposed to send in reports at diiierent times during the night. I have illustrated three of' these devices, one being located at the substation instrument and the other two being located at a distance and bridge across the'tele )hone line by means of conductors 53 anti 54. As shown when the instrument is in its normal condition, the contact brush 33 rests upon one of the insulating segments 34 carried upon the periphery of the Wheel v25 and the circuit of the line conductors remains open. Assuming that the kcrank 27 of the signalsending device located at the substation instrument is given one complete revolution, the circuit of the line conductors will be completed4 and broken three times, said Wheel having three insulated segments disposed about its periphery. As the brush 33 traverses the contact surfaces 35 of said Wheel a current will flow from the battery 11 through the coils of line relay 2O by means of conductor 21 over line conductor 2 through the brush 32, resting upon the hub 31 of the Wheel 25, through contact brush 33 and back to the central station,

over line conductor 1 and to ground through' conductor 18. It will thus be seen that the line relay 20 Will be energized and de energized three times in quick succession. The armature 23 Will thus be attracted and released three times, thus flashing the line signal 22 and indicatin(r to the operator that de a report from the station located at the subscribcrs instrument. At the'same time the armature 51 of the line`relay will be attracted and released three times, thus successively energizing and denergizing the magnet 50 over conductor 52, thus attracting the armature 40 of the tape ticker and recording the report of the watchman upon the traveling tape. It will thus he seen that a visual report Will be sent, to the central office, due to the flashing of i the line" lamp 22, and a vpermanent record will also be made of said report by the tape ticker 3G. 'l he reports of the watchman or lire alarm signals sent to the otlice by means ot' thi` sigiiaksending devices or Wheels 25 can be readily distinguished by the operator from calls for a connection for conversation, by means of the rapidity with which the line signal will be lighted and distinguished. Should the other signal-sending devices shown in connection with the substation be operated, four impulses and five impulses, respectively, would be sent over the line to the central office, thus making a different record upon the signal-receiving device 36, and indicating which instrument has been operated.

lt will also be noted that` my device Will also record the calls received from the substation for conyersation, and the duration of such conversation, 'as the signal-1'eceiving device 3G would be operated in the same manner when the receiver is removed from.

the switch' hook 7 as when the wheels 25 are rotated. excepting that a continuous record would be made upon the tape 38, that is, the armature 40 would be continuously held in engagement with the tape 38 from A`the time the receiver was removed until the operator answered the call. I thus provide a watchmans lire alarm and report service systems.

to be used in connection with telephone sys-v tems which utilizes the line conductors,`the line relay and signal and the battery of said A complete service of the class described is thus produced by installing a small and inexpensive auxiliaryattachment or signal-sending substation and a simple and inexpensive auxiliary signal-receivingdevice at the een tral olice.. It will also be noted that my invention gives a visual and a permanent record of'such reports or alarms and the time of receiving the same, due to the time-driven tape mechanism 36, and also records the calls received from the telephone instrument.

T hecombination' with a telephone line normally relayat the central office, a line signal circuit completed by the actuation of the line relay, and a4 recordin(lr device for permanently recording specic signals having its circuit completed 1n parallel; with the line signal and adapted to be actuated Whenever the circuit is closed between the limbs of the telephone line atthe substation, substantially as described.

Signed by me at Chicago, and State 'of Illinois, in the presence of two Witnesses.`

CHARLES S. VVINSTON,

lVitnesses C. B. CAMP, E F. GRIER.

device at the telephonecounty of Cook,

open atthe substation, of a line 

